US Donates 35.8 Million Doses Of COVID Vaccine To Indonesia

Illustration of the COVID-19 vaccine (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The United States contributed a total of 35.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia, and more than 500 million doses to countries around the world until March 17, 2022.

With an additional 3.5 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that arrived in Jakarta on April 3, the United States has donated 35.8 million doses to Indonesia and more than half a billion doses of vaccine to more than 110 countries in various regions of the world, said The US Embassy in Jakarta in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.

According to the US Embassy, for every dose of vaccine administered in the United States, nearly one dose has been shipped overseas. The move comes within nine months of delivering on US President Joe Biden's pledge to donate more than 1.2 billion doses of a safe and effective COVID vaccine worldwide.

"Vaccines are one of the best ways to control this pandemic. With vaccines, we help protect each other from contagion and return to activity in a healthier and more productive world", said Jeff Cohen, director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Indonesia.

"The United States is committed to continuing to live up to the spirit of solidarity and partnering with the Indonesian people and our partners. Together, we will defeat COVID-19", said Cohen.

The United States is by far the largest donor to the global access to COVID-19 vaccine (COVAX) scheme.

In collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), COVAX has delivered more than one billion doses of vaccine to countries around the world, including more than 100 million doses to Indonesia.

In addition, the United States provides support for vaccination sites in Indonesia, including mobile clinics for the elderly and people with disabilities so that they can be vaccinated in their yards.

The US through USAID also trains health workers and supports vaccine distribution to remote areas in Indonesia to help communities in all provinces have access to vaccines.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government has provided more than USD 77 million (IDR 1.11 trillion) to support Indonesia in handling COVID-19.

USAID has so far provided support for more than 10,000 vaccination activities in Indonesia.